Sleeve for a container or the like and blank for constructing the same

ABSTRACT

A sleeve for a container includes a main body portion defining a primary loop that is configured to receive and surround a section of a container inserted therein. An ancillary portion is adjacent the main body portion and defines a secondary loop configured to receive and hold an ancillary item. A blank for constructing the sleeve includes an elongate strip of material having opposite free ends. The strip includes a first length extending from one of the free ends to an intermediate location between the opposite free ends and a second length extending from the intermediate location to the other of the free ends. The second length is shorter than the first length.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a sleeve for a container or the like and a blank for constructing the same.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Sleeves for containers are well known and are often used to provide insulation between users' hands and containers holding a hot or cold substance therein. For example, in cafes, coffee shops etc., disposable sleeves are commonplace and are used to surround sections of disposable coffee cups to insulate customers' hands from heat radiating from hot beverages (e.g. coffee, hot chocolate, soup etc.) held in the coffee cups.

The disposable sleeves are typically formed from corrugated board or card stock blanks that are glued, folded or otherwise assembled to form the sleeves. Once assembled, the sleeves are typically placed into a collapsed flat condition to facilitate transportation and storage. When it is desired to use the sleeves to surround coffee cups, the sleeves are expanded allowing the sleeves to receive and surround sections of coffee cups to provide users with insulated areas for holding the coffee cups. During use, the sleeves may be expanded by the users themselves, for example after receiving filled coffee cups, or may be expanded and placed around the coffee cups by servers prior to being handed over to the users.

While the contributions of known sleeves for containers such as those described above are laudable, improvements are generally desired. It is therefore an object to provide a novel sleeve for a container or the like and to a novel blank for constructing the same.

SUMMARY

It should be appreciated that this summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Accordingly, in one aspect there is provided a sleeve for a container comprising: a main body portion defining a primary loop, the primary loop configured to receive and surround a section of a container inserted therein; and an ancillary portion adjacent the main body portion, the ancillary portion defiing a secondary loop configured to receive and hold an ancillary item.

In one or more embodiments, the primary and secondary loops inwardly taper in a direction from top to bottom when the sleeve is upright. In one or more embodiments, the primary loop may have a generally circular, horizontal cross-section and the secondary loop may have a generally rectangular, horizontal cross-section.

In one or more embodiments, the sleeve may further comprise fold lines provided in the primary loop at spaced locations. The fold lines may be perforated.

In one or more embodiments, the sleeve may further comprise fold lines provided in the secondary loop at spaced locations. The fold lines may be perforated.

In one or more embodiments, the sleeve is collapsible about the fold lines, and wherein the sleeve is generally flat in the collapsed condition.

In one or more embodiments, the sleeve is of unitary construction and the secondary loop is contiguous with the primary loop.

According to another aspect there is provided a blank for constructing a sleeve, the blank comprising: an elongate strip of material having opposite free ends, the strip comprising a first length extending from one of the free ends to an intermediate location between the opposite free ends and a second length extending from the intermediate location to the other of the free ends, the second length being shorter than the first length; first transverse fold lines provided in the first length at spaced locations; and second transverse fold lines provided in the second length at spaced locations, wherein the first length is configured to be folded into a first loop with a distal region adjacent the one free end overlying a region of the first length adjacent the intermediate location, and wherein the second length is configured to be folded into a second loop with a distal region adjacent the other free end overlying a region of the first length adjacent the intermediate location.

In one or more embodiments, the elongate strip of material is arcuate.

In one or more embodiments, either (i) the first transverse fold lines are perforated, (ii) the second transverse fold lines are perforated, or (iii) both the first and second transverse fold lines are perforated.

In one or more embodiments, the first transverse fold lines may include two (2) fold lines and the second transverse fold lines may include four (4) fold lines.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top, front, right side perspective view of a sleeve for a container in an expanded condition;

FIG. 2 is a top, front perspective view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top, right side perspective view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom, front, right side perspective of the sleeve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a right side view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a left side view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the sleeve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a blank for constructing the sleeve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a top view of the sleeve of FIG. 1 in a generally flat, collapsed condition;

FIG. 13 is a front view of the sleeve of FIG. 1 in the generally flat, collapsed condition; and

FIG. 14 is a rear view of the sleeve of FIG. 1 in the generally flat, collapsed condition.

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of certain examples, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. As used herein, an element or feature recited in the singular and preceded by the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not necessarily excluding a plural of the elements or features. Further, references to “one example” or “one embodiment” are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional examples or embodiments that also incorporate the recited elements or features of that one example or one embodiment. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, examples or embodiments “comprising,” “having” or “including” an element or feature or a plurality of elements or features having a particular property may further include additional elements or features not having that particular property. Also, it will be appreciated that the terms “comprises,” “has” and “includes” mean “including but not limited to” and the terms “comprising,” “having” and “including” have equivalent meanings.

As used herein, the term “and/or” can include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements or features.

It will be understood that when an element or feature is referred to as being, for example, “on,” “attached,” “connected,” “coupled,” or “contacting,” another element or feature, that element or feature can be directly on, attached, connected, coupled or contacting the other element or feature or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element or feature is referred to as being, for example, “directly on,” “directly attached,” “directly connected,” “directly coupled” or “directly contacting” another element of feature, there are no intervening elements or features present.

Reference herein to “configured” denotes an actual state of configuration that fundamentally ties the element or feature to the physical characteristics of the element or feature preceding the phrase “configured to.”

Unless otherwise indicated, the terms “first,” “second,” etc. are used herein merely as labels, and are not intended to impose ordinal, positional, or hierarchical requirements on the items to which these terms refer. Moreover, reference to a “second” item does not require or preclude the existence of a lower-numbered item (e.g., a “first” item) and/or a higher-numbered item (e.g., a “third” item).

It will be understood that spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “above”, “upper”, “front”, “back” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. The spatially relative terms can however, encompass different orientations in use or operation in addition to the orientations depicted in the figures.

In the following, embodiments of a sleeve for a container or the like and a blank for constructing a container sleeve are described. The sleeve, in one form, comprises a main body portion defining a primary loop configured to receive and surround a section of a container. An ancillary portion defines a secondary loop adjacent the primary loop. The secondary loop is configured to receive and hold an ancillary item. The blank for constructing the container sleeve, in one form, comprises an elongate strip of material having opposite free ends. The strip comprises a first length extending from one of the free ends to an intermediate location between the opposite free ends and a second length extending from the intermediate location to the other of the free ends, with the second length being shorter than the first length. First transverse fold lines are provided in the first length at spaced locations and second transverse fold lines are provided in the second length at spaced locations. The first length is configured to be folded into a first loop with a distal region adjacent the one free end overlying (i.e. in juxtaposition with) a region of the first length adjacent the intermediate location, and the second length is configured to be folded into a second loop with a distal region adjacent the other free end overlying (i.e. in juxtaposition with) a region of the first length adjacent the intermediate location.

Turning now to FIGS. 1 to 10, a sleeve for a container is shown and is generally identified by reference character 100. As shown, the sleeve 100 is in an expanded and upright condition ready for use. In this embodiment, the sleeve 100 is formed of card stock and is configured to surround a section of a beverage container (not shown), such as a coffee cup or the like, to insulate a user's hand from heat radiating from a hot beverage held therein. The sleeve 100 is also configured to receive and hold an ancillary item, such as a pastry or other relatively small foodstuff item (not shown), adjacent to the beverage container.

As can be seen, the sleeve 100 comprises a main body portion 120 and an ancillary portion 122 that extends from the main body portion 120. The main body portion 120 defines a primary loop, ring or band 124 (hereinafter referred to as “loop”) having an upper opening 126 and a lower opening 128. The primary loop 124 defined by the main body portion 120 has a generally circular, horizontal cross-section and tapers inwardly from the upper opening 126 to the lower opening 128 giving the primary loop 124 a generally frustoconical shape. The primary loop 124 is sized and configured to slidingly receive a beverage container that is inserted into the primary loop via the upper opening 126 until the interior or inwardly facing surface 130 of the primary loop 124 frictionally engages a section of the beverage container. A pair of fold lines 132 is provided in the main body portion 120. The fold lines 132 are diametrically opposed to facilitate collapsing of the main body portion 120 into a generally flat, collapsed condition as will be described. To further facilitate collapsing of the main body portion 120, the fold lines 132 in this embodiment are perforated. Those of skill in the art will however appreciate that, in other embodiments, especially in situations where the sleeve 100 is formed of less rigid material, the fold lines 132 need not be perforated and may simply be creased.

The ancillary portion 122 is contiguous with the main body portion 120 and defines, in conjunction with the main body portion 120, a secondary loop, ring or band 140 (hereinafter referred to as “loop”) having an upper opening 142 and a lower opening 144. The secondary loop 140 defined by the secondary ancillary portion 122 has a generally rectangular, horizontal cross-section and tapers inwardly from the upper opening 142 to the lower opening 144 giving the secondary loop 140 a truncated, generally rectangular, pyramidal shape. The secondary loop 140 is sized and configured to slidingly receive and frictionally hold an ancillary item therein when the ancillary item is inserted into the secondary loop 140 via the upper opening 142.

As can be seen, the ancillary portion 122 comprises a pair of generally parallel side wall sections 150 a and 150 b that are joined by a transverse outer wall section 152. Side wall section 150 a is integral (i.e. contiguous) with and extends from the main body portion 120. A transverse inner wall section 154 extends from the side wall panel 150 b partially towards the side wall section 150 a and is in juxtaposition with (i.e. overlies) the outer or outwardly facing surface 134 of the primary loop 124. A section 124 a of the primary loop 124 that extends from the distal edge of the inner wall section 154 to the side wall section 150 a completes the secondary loop 140. Fold lines 160 a are provided in the ancillary portion 122 at the intersections between the side wall sections 150 a and 150 b and the outer and inner wall sections 152 and 154. A fold line 160 b is also provided in the side wall section 150 a adjacent the primary loop 124. The fold lines 160 a and 160 b facilitate collapsing of the ancillary portion 122 into a generally flat, collapsed condition as will be described. To further facilitate collapsing of the ancillary portion 122, the fold lines 160 a and 160 b are perforated. As with fold lines 132, those of skill in the art will appreciate that, in other embodiments, especially in situations where the sleeve 120 is formed of less rigid material, the fold lines 160 a and 160 b need not be perforated and may simply be creased.

The sleeve 100, in the expanded condition as shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, provides two side-by-side loops, namely primary loop 124 and secondary loop 140, configured to receive and hold a beverage container and ancillary item, such as a foodstuff item, respectively and in close proximity. The longitudinal centerlines of the primary and secondary loops 124 and 140 are generally parallel so that any beverage container and ancillary item held thereby are at similar orientations reducing the risk of a held ancillary item falling out of the secondary loop 140 while a beverage container is held in the primary loop 124.

Turning now to FIG. 11, a blank for constructing the sleeve 100 is shown and is generally identified by reference character 170. As can be seen, the blank 170 is of unitary construction and comprises an elongate strip of card stock material. The strip of material has an arcuate shape that extends from a first free end 172 to an opposite second free end 174 and defines an upper arcuate edge 176 and a lower arcuate edge 178. A first length 180 of the strip, extending from free end 172 to a location 182 intermediate the opposite free ends 172 and 174, defines the section of the strip forming the main body portion 120 of the sleeve 100 that is used to construct the primary loop 124. A second, shorter length 184 of the strip extending from the intermediate location 182 to the free end 174 defines the section of the strip forming the ancillary portion 122 that is used to construct the secondary loop 140. The perforated fold lines 132, that are transverse to the longitudinal centerline of the strip, are provided in the first length 180 of the strip at spaced locations to divide the strip first length into three (3) panels 190, 192 and 194 in seriatim. In this embodiment, panels 190 and 194 are generally similar in length while panel 192 is longer than panels 190 and 194. The perforated fold lines 160 a and 160 b, that are also transverse to the longitudinal centerline of the strip, are provided in the second length 182 of the strip at spaced locations to divide the strip second length into four (4) panels 200, 202, 204 and 206 in seriatim. Panels 200 and 204 define the side wall sections 150 a and 150 b, panel 202 defines the outer wall section 152 and panel 206 defines the inner wall section 154 when the strip second length is used to construct the secondary loop 140.

During construction of the sleeve 100 from the blank 170, the first strip length 180 is folded into a loop so that a distal region 210 of the panel 190 adjacent the free end 172 overlies (i.e. is in juxtaposition with) a region 212 of the panel 194 and the panel regions 210 and 212 are adhered to one another to complete the primary loop 124. The second strip length 184 is folded about the fold lines 160 a and 160 b into a generally rectangular, pyramidal shape until the panel 206 defining the inner wall section 154 overlies (i.e. is in juxtaposition with) a region of the outer surface of the primary loop 124 and the panel 206 and outer surface region are adhered to complete the secondary loop 140. For example, with specific reference to FIG. 11, the first strip length 180 may be folded into a loop by moving the free edge 172 out of the page and in a right to left direction until the back surface of the panel 190 within distal region 210, that is not visible in FIG. 11, overlies the visible surface of panel 194 within region 212. In this case, the second strip length 184 is folded into a loop by moving the free edge 174 out of the page in a left to right direction to bring the back surface of the panel 206 (not visible in FIG. 11) into juxtaposition with the now exposed back surface of the panel 190. Alternatively, the first strip length 180 may be folded into a loop by moving the free edge 172 into the page and in a right to left direction until the visible surface of panel 190 within distal region 210 overlies the back surface of panel 194 within region 212, that is not visible in FIG. 11. In this case, the second strip length 184 is folded into a loop by moving the free edge 174 into the page and in a left to right direction to bring the visible surface of the panel 206 into juxtaposition with the previously visible surface of panel 190.

Once constructed, the sleeve 100 is ready for use to surround a section of a beverage container and receive an ancillary item. Prior to use, the design of the sleeve 100 allows the sleeve to assume a generally flat, collapsed condition to facilitate transportation and storage.

FIGS. 12 to 14 show the sleeve 100 in the generally flat, collapsed condition. In the generally flat, collapsed condition, the main body portion 120 and the ancillary portion 122 are both generally flat. When the main body portion 120 is collapsed, the primary loop 124 bends at the fold lines 132 such that the panels 190 and 194 are brought into juxtaposition with panel 192 of the main body portion 122. When the ancillary portion 124 is collapsed, the secondary loop 140 bends at one or more of the fold lines 160 a and 160 b such that side wall section 150 a becomes aligned with the outer wall section 152 and side wall section 150 b becomes aligned with inner wall section 154 and with aligned sections 150 a and 152 being in juxtaposition with aligned sections 150 b and 154. To expand the sleeve 100, a user simply needs to manually pull the primary loop 124 and the secondary loop 140 open.

Although a section 124 a of the primary loop 124 defines a portion of the secondary loop 140, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the length of the panel 206 may be extended so that the inner wall section 154 defined by the panel 206 extends completely between the side wall sections 150 a and 150 b.

If desired, the ancillary portion 122 may include a base that at least partially closes the lower opening 144 of the secondary loop 140.

Although the first strip length 180 is shown and described as comprising two fold lines 132, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the first strip length may include additional fold lines to allow the horizontal cross-section of the primary loop 124 to assume a truer circular shape.

Although the secondary loop 140 is shown and described as having a generally rectangular, horizontal cross-section, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments the secondary loop 140 may have another suitable horizontal cross-section, such as a semi-circular or crescent-shaped cross-section by adjusting the number of fold lines 160 a and 160 b provided in the second strip length 182.

Although the sleeve 100 has been described as being formed of card stock, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the sleeve may be formed of other suitable material such as corrugated board, plastic etc. Depending on the flexibility or rigidity of the selected material, the number of transverse fold lines provided in the first and second strip lengths and the configurations of the fold lines may vary to facilitate folding of the first and second strip lengths into their respective loops.

Although embodiments have been described above and are shown in the accompanying drawings, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope as defined by the appended claims, and the scope of the claims should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the specification as a whole.

Unless otherwise expressly indicated herein, all numerical values indicating mechanical/thermal properties, compositional percentages, dimensions and/or tolerances, or other characteristics are to be understood as modified by the word “about” or “approximately” in describing the scope of the present disclosure. This modification is desired for various reasons including industrial practice, manufacturing technology, and testing capability.

The description of the disclosure is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the substance of the disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A OR B OR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed to mean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A sleeve for a container comprising: a main body portion defining a primary loop, the primary loop configured to receive and surround a section of a container inserted therein; and an ancillary portion adjacent the main body portion, the ancillary portion defining a secondary loop configured to receive and hold an ancillary item.
 2. The sleeve of claim 1, wherein the primary and secondary loops inwardly taper in a direction from top to bottom when the sleeve is upright.
 3. The sleeve of claim 2, wherein the primary loop has a generally circular, horizontal cross-section.
 4. The sleeve of claim 3, further comprising fold lines provided in the primary loop at spaced locations.
 5. The sleeve of claim 4, wherein the fold lines are perforated.
 6. The sleeve of claim 2, wherein the secondary loop has a generally rectangular, horizontal cross-section.
 7. The sleeve of claim 6, further comprising fold lines provided in the the secondary loop at spaced locations.
 8. The sleeve of claim 7, wherein the fold lines are perforated.
 9. The sleeve of claim 1, further comprising fold lines provided in the primary and secondary loops at spaced locations.
 10. The sleeve of claim 9, wherein the sleeve is collapsible about the fold lines and wherein the sleeve is generally flat in the collapsed condition.
 11. The sleeve of claim 3, wherein the secondary loop has a generally rectangular, horizontal cross-section.
 12. The sleeve of claim 11, further comprising fold lines provided in the primary and secondary loops at spaced locations.
 13. The sleeve of claim 12, wherein the fold lines are perforated.
 14. The sleeve of claim 13, wherein the sleeve is collapsible about the fold lines and wherein the sleeve is generally flat in the collapsed condition.
 15. The sleeve of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is of a unitary construction and the secondary loop is contiguous with the primary loop.
 16. A blank for constructing a sleeve, the blank comprising: an elongate strip of material having opposite free ends, the strip comprising a first length extending from one of the free ends to an intermediate location between the opposite free ends and a second length extending from the intermediate location to the other of the free ends, the second length being shorter than the first length; first transverse fold lines provided in the first length at spaced locations; and second transverse fold lines provided in the second length at spaced locations, wherein the first length is configured to be folded into a first loop with a distal region adjacent the one free end overlying a region of the first length adjacent the intermediate location, and wherein the second length is configured to be folded into a second loop with a distal region adjacent the other free end overlying a region of the first length adjacent the intermediate location.
 17. The blank of claim 16, wherein the elongate strip of material is arcuate.
 18. The blank of claim 17, wherein either (i) the first transverse fold lines are perforated, (ii) the second transverse fold lines are perforated, or (iii) both the first and second transverse fold lines are perforated.
 19. The blank of claim 18, wherein the first transverse fold lines comprise two spaced fold lines.
 20. The blank of claim 18, wherein the first transverse fold lines comprise four spaced fold lines. 